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Ruggedized laptop computers are a natural mobile data terminal for law enforcement use. However, the price of some of these computers can be tough for some departments to swallow. Lewis County in Washington State is one example. Covering 2,435 square miles south of Seattle. Lewis County has only 70,700 residents to supports its tax base. As a result, only one of the county's nine cities and the Lewis County Sheriffs Department (LCSD) had mobile data terminals (MDTs) in the 60-plus cars until recently because the department couldn't afford the cost to equip them all.
In fact, it wasn't until the county received a DHS Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP) grant to fund mobile data terminals that Lewis County stalled shopping around for them. Alter much research, the county decided to install Intronix GoBook VR-I ruggedizcd laptops because the GoBooks provided a sufficient degree of toughness and functionality for in-car use at a low price.
Semi-Rugged GoBook VR-1
Most rough-use laptops, and that includes the Itronix GoBook VR-I, are designed to meet MIL-SID 810-F standards lor vibration, humidity, and shock resistance. Itronix classifies its laptop as belonging to the "semirugged" class. In contrast, other laptops come in both "semi-rugged" and "rugged" configuration. If you need a laptop that can really take a pounding, you'll need a true "rugged" laptop.
This said, most MDTs spend their lives sitting inside patrol cars. They may get jostled during high-speed cases and bumped over uneven roads, but chances are that they will operate in relatively constant temperatures, and with minimal humidity. This is why many mobile users can get by...